Asia Cup 2025: Gill’s cover drives, Bumrah’s nip-backers light up India’s practice session

India began sharpening their preparations for the Asia Cup with an intense training session at the ICC Academy in Abu Dhabi, where some spirited battles unfolded in the nets on Saturday.

Vice-captain Shubman Gill and pace ace Jasprit Bumrah stole the spotlight in a lively face-off. ‘Stiff legs,’ Gill teased, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, while Bumrah charged around the ground, diving and sprinting through drills. The fast bowler waved him off with a grin before steaming in again. Their contest grew sharper in the nets — Gill driving crisply through the covers, only for Bumrah to nip one back past the bat moments later.

Sanju Samson, fresh from a draining 30-minute stint in sweltering humidity, watched on as rival wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma underwent a keeping workout. The two are vying for a single spot in India’s starting XI, adding an extra edge to the session.

Earlier, the squad went through warm-up stretches, shuttle runs and soft throws before moving to the nets. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, easing back from sports hernia surgery, batted alongside Gill in search of fluency. Youngsters Jitesh, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma took turns earlier, carrying multiple bats to the crease.

Abhishek impressed with the ball as well, rolling his arm over with left-arm spin, wrist spin and a backspinner. Bowling coach Morne Morkel closely monitored Shivam Dube’s run-up, while fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana focused more on mobility and fitness drills.

India rotated their quicks, with Bumrah and Hardik Pandya leading the charge. The session underlined both intensity and camaraderie, with plenty of banter to go with the hard graft.

India open their Asia Cup campaign against hosts UAE on 10 September in Dubai. The high-voltage clash against Pakistan follows on 14 September, before the final group game against Oman on 19 September in Abu Dhabi.